New Town Plaza Explained

新城市廣場
New Town Plaza
Location:18-19 Sha Tin Centre Street, Sha Tin, Hong Kong
Developer:Sun Hung Kai Properties
Manager:Kai Shing Management
Owner:Sun Hung Kai Properties
Number Of Stores:More than 400
Floors:9
Publictransit:Sha Tin station

New Town Plaza is a shopping mall in the town centre of Sha Tin, Hong Kong. Developed by Sun Hung Kai Properties, it was the biggest shopping centre in the New Territories when it was completed in the early 1980s. Covering 200,000 square metres (49.4 acres), the plaza comprises Phase 1 (the main mall) and Phase 3, which are connected to each other, as well as the Grand Central Plaza, which is less than one kilometre from Phase 1. Phase 1 underwent extensive renovation from 2003 to 2008.

The nine-storey shopping centre is right next to Sha Tin station and Citylink Plaza. It is one of the busiest shopping malls in Hong Kong. There are many different transportation links to New Town Plaza, such as shuttle services from nearby estates, minibus routes, the MTR station located right within the plaza itself, and so forth.

Floor plan

Phase 1

Phase 3

New Town Plaza Phase 3 (Chinese: 新城市廣場第三期) is a private housing estate and a shopping arcade. It comprises 5 high-rise buildings and a 3-floor shopping arcade built between 1990 and 1991.[1] Phase 3 underwent extensive renovation from 2017 to 2019, to increase the shops, the existing atrium from Level 1 to Level 2 have been removed.

Layout of the shopping arcade after renovation:

Layout of the shopping arcade before renovation:

Grand Central Plaza

The Grand Central Plaza complex (Chinese: 新城市中央廣場) houses the HomeSquare shopping mall.

Snoopy's World

On the podium of Level 3 of Phase 1, there is an outdoor playground called the "Snoopy's World", the first Peanuts outdoor playground in Asia.[2] It opened to the public on 1 September 2000.[3]

Spots in Snoopy's World

Musical fountain

When New Town Plaza Phase 1 opened, an oval musical fountain at the centre of Level 3 was an icon of the shopping mall and the largest musical fountain in Asia. It was demolished in August 2004 and then, in May 2005, rebuilt on the roof garden of Level 7, opening in November that year. But it was then closed in 2015 which is the year of New Town Plaza has opened 30 years.

Nearby shopping malls

Nearby facilities

During the Anti-ELAB movement in 2019

New Town Plaza is one of the key locations for the Anti-ELAB movement, which originated from a peaceful protest held on 14 July in Sha Tin escalated into intense confrontations between the protesters and the police when the protesters were kettled inside New Town Plaza.[5] [6] Sun Hung Kai Properties were scrutinised for allowing the police to enter the shopping centre without proper permit.[7]

In September 2019, protesters gathered several times in different shopping malls to sing for the song Glory to Hong Kong. On 11 September 2019, around 1000 people sang the song in New Town Plaza together that night, with crowds of people singing the song in other shopping malls around Hong Kong as well.[8]

External links

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Notes and References

  1. https://archive.today/20131122133139/http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/cx/?id=103557 New Town Plaza-Phase 3
  2. http://www.nextstophongkong.com/attractions/theme-parks/snoopys-world/ Snoopy's World
  3. News: Snoopy World ready to amuse. Jo Bowman. South China Morning Post. 6 July 2000. 4 July 2021.
  4. Web site: SHKP cheers Beijing Olympic torch relay. 27 April 2008. Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited. 15 June 2009.
  5. Web site: Cheng . Kris . Hong Kong democrats question police 'kettling' tactic during Sha Tin mall clearance, as pro-Beijing side slams violence . Hong Kong Free Press . 16 July 2019.
  6. Web site: Violent clashes broke out inside New Town Plaza. The Standard. 14 July 2019. 15 July 2019.
  7. Web site: Chan . Holmes . Creery . Jennifer . Hundreds of protesters gather at Sha Tin mall to demand accountability for violent clashes on Sunday . Hong Kong Free Press . 17 July 2019.
  8. Web site: 《願榮光歸香港》再響遍多區商場 千人迫爆新城市廣場. 11 September 2019. Stand News. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190914044519/https://thestandnews.com/politics/%E7%9D%87%E7%89%87-%E9%A1%98%E6%A6%AE%E5%85%89%E6%AD%B8%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF-%E5%86%8D%E9%9F%BF%E9%81%8D%E5%A4%9A%E5%8D%80%E5%95%86%E5%A0%B4-%E5%8D%83%E4%BA%BA%E8%BF%AB%E7%88%86%E6%96%B0%E5%9F%8E%E5%B8%82%E5%BB%A3%E5%A0%B4/. 14 September 2019. 15 September 2019.